University Park, Pa. -- The Penn State football staff again will welcome a large contingent of high school players from across the nation to its 34th annual summer football camps.
Penn State will host five different camp opportunities on the University Park campus in late May and June, including a seniors-only camp, which was introduced three years ago and continues to grow in popularity.
Close to 3,000 players from across the nation annually attend the Penn State football camps.
The 2008 Penn State camps feature two offense/defense skills and fundamentals camps for athletes entering eighth through 12th grade in the fall, to be held June 15-18 and 22-25. A placekicking camp, headed by Penn State placekicking coach and recruiting coordinator Mike McQueary, will be held May 31-June 1. This camp also is for eighth- through 12th-graders.
The "seniors only" camp will be held June 20-21. This camp is designed to give an upcoming senior the opportunity to focus in on his primary offensive or defensive position. In addition to the Penn State staff, the seniors-only camp will feature many college coaches and former Nittany Lion players that are in the coaching profession as assistant coaches. The past three years, approximately 20 former Nittany Lions, currently serving as high school or college football coaches, worked the senior camp.
Penn State's popular 7-on-7 team passing camp will be held June 13-14. Many of the top high school teams from the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast attend this camp and use it as a competitive off-season teaching opportunity for their skill players. This camp is designed for varsity programs.
In addition to the Penn State coaching staff, selected outstanding high school coaches and Penn State Athletics trainers and medical personnel complete the camp staff.
Additional camp information, including registration forms, can be found by visiting http://www.pennstatefootballcamps.com or by contacting the Penn State sports camps office at (814) 865-0561.
Coach Joe Paterno and his staff have guided Penn State to 31 wins in the last 40 games, including victories in the 2006 FedEx Orange Bowl, the 2007 Outback Bowl and 2007 Valero Alamo Bowl. The Nittany Lions are tied for eighth nationally in wins over the past 40 games.
Penn State returns 17 starters and 37 letterwinners for the 2008 campaign, Paterno's 43rd as head coach. The Nittany Lions will culminate spring drills with the annual Blue-White Game at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 19, in Beaver Stadium.
During the 2008 campaign, the Nittany Lions will face eight teams that played in bowl games last year, including five at home: Oregon State (Sept. 6), Illinois (Sept. 27), Michigan (Oct. 18-Homecoming), Indiana (Nov. 15) and Michigan State (Nov. 22).